1
energy
What is energy?
0 comments
In conjunction with a docufilm by the same name, Lil Peep’s second posthumous album ‘Everybody’s Everything’ dropped today (Nov 15th) to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the rapper’s tragic death.
Tales of musicians crushed by fame and drugs have, regrettably, become common to the point of cliché. Yet something feels especially sad and poignant about the death of Lil Peep. Throughout his short career, Peep took typical drug-fuelled trap tropes and merged them with insights into deep personal trauma.
The result was not only extremely catchy pop/trap tracks steeped in sadness, but also the emergence of a whole subculture of ‘goth bois’ and ’emo rappers’. Today, his following is as big as ever was, and if anything, his death seems to have only cemented the commitment of his fans.
The 21-year-old’s second posthumous album ‘Everybody’s Everything’ has been described as a ‘lovingly-curated collection of songs from Lil Peep’s career’, delivering a 19-track mix of never-before-heard records and remastered versions of fan favourites like ‘Cobain’, ‘White Tee, and ‘Witchblades’. Having already given the album a couple of run throughs myself, I reckon it’s safe to say this is the most varied Peep project to date, and definitely the best produced.
If, like me, you’re a sucker for Peep’s iconic formula, i.e. minor guitar arpeggios, trap laden beats, angsty raspy vocals, and ears full o’ bass, then you’ll instantly feel at home with Everybody’s Everything. However, this new project also offers a handful of melodic pop tracks like ‘Princess’ and ‘Walk Away as the Door Slams’ that display a versatility in Gus’ vocals that spreads beyond just rap/trap and into the realms of both conventional pop and punk pop. You can really hear his love of Blink 182 shining through in ‘LA to London’ which had the Thred office bouncing around this morning.
‘Keep My Coo’ is sure to become a fan favourite over time. My first listen instantly drew comparisons to Mac Miller’s 2011 mixtape Best Day Ever, and that’s a huge compliment. Dripping in easy rap influence, a catchy synth hook plays throughout (in a major key, for the first time ever) and Peep’s flair for rapping really shines through in the verses, which he happened to lean on less and less as his sound developed. For once, it’s more brag than drag and the song provides a welcome, albeit brief departure from what is unequivocally another dark and heavy project.
